Burner control



Mar. 3, 1925 V 1,528,734

H. T. H0O D 1 BURNER CONTROL Filed Dec. 21, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR @1 M, @La/VM/ Mar; 3, 1925- 1,52,734-

H.T.HOOD

BURNER CONTROL Filed Dec. "21, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER T. HOOD, 013 DETROIT, MIdHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERTSHAW MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF YOUNGWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

BURNER CONTROL.

Application filed December 21, 1921. Serial No. 523,865.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER T. HOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of lVayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Burner Controls, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view, largely diagrammatic and partly in section, illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 1 is a detail sectional view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the thermostatically controlled valve;

Figure 2 is a similar view illustrating a modification; and

Figure 3 is also a similar view illustrating a still further modified embodiment of my invention.

The present invention relates broadly to burners and burner systems, and more particularly to a form of burner control for liquid fuel burners.

At the present time it is customary to supply both liquid fuel and a fluid such as air or steam, to a burner in such manner as to effect an efficient mixture at constant pressures and with .constant quantities of both the liquid and the fluid. It has been extremely diflicult, however, to effectively regulate the size of the flame of the burner.. The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of means by which such a regulation can be easily secured.

Also, with systems as commonly used at the present time, it is customary to so mount the thermostat, 1n case one is provided, that it will directly control the flow of the liquid fuel. This is very objectionable, as the liquid fuel'at times must pass through very restricted openings, and therefore has a tendency to clog the same and prevent the free flow of the fuel. By the present invention these objections are obviated and the thermostatic control, where one is provided, is so mounted as to be initially effective upon the air, steam or other fluid.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated one embodiment of my invention comprising a supply pipe 2 for the liquid fuel. This pipe may be provided with any desired form of manual control valve 3 which regulates the flow of the liquid fuel, whichds preferably under pressure, to a combined trap and strainer 4. After being strained the liquid fuel passes into a constant level chamber 5 the inlet to which is controlled by a float operated valve 6. Connected with. the constant level chamber 5 below the level of the fuel therein, is an outlet pipe 7 adapted to conduct thefuel to the central passage 8 of a liquid fuel burner of suitable construction.

The inlet to the passage 8 may in turn be controlled by a regulating valve 9, as is customary in this art. In actual operation, it is desirable to install the burner in such manner that the passage 8 lies in substantially the same horizontal plane with the Level5 of the fuel in the constant level chamer t For supplying the air, steam or other fluid under pressure, there is provided a second supply pipe 10, preferably provided at a convenient point with a manually operable regulating valve 11. From the valve 11 the fluid under pressure is conducted to a thermostatically operated valve 12. This valve may be operated by a thermostat 13 immersed in a bath 14 the. temperature which it is desired to control, or mounted in any other desired manner so as to be subjected to variations in heat. The valve 12 con trolled thereby is'preferably of the well known type provided with a small bleed passage or bypass 12 whereby a constant minimum amount of fluid will always be permitted to flow therethrough to maintain a pilot flame. From the valve 12 the fluid under pressure is conducted to the annular passage 15 of the burner. Connected between the fluid pressure line and the constant level chamber 5 is an equalizing connection 16 whereby the pressure conditions existing in the line 10 may be transmitted to an air chamber provided above the level of the fuel in the constant level chamber, thereby forming an equalizing. chamber. This connection may be of such nature that a flow is permitted therethrough to establish equal pressures on both the fluid and the fuel or it may be of such nature as to restrict the flow and thereby maintain proportional pressures, as desired.

With a construction of this nature, it will be obvious that as the temperature in the furnace 17, or other heating device, is raised, the thermostat 13 will be operated to gradually close the valve 12. As this operation takes place, the amount of fluid under pressure will be decreased, thereby proportionately decreasing the amount of fuel supplied by the burner. This is true for the reason that the fuel supplied will bear a definite relation to the pressure existing in the chamber 5 and to the aspirating efl'ect excrted on the passage 8. Such a system of control is very advantageous, as the valve 12 is so positioned that it controls a fluid which readily passes through restricted openings The accurate control of the fluid under pressure is in turn transmitted to the fuel so that an etficient control for the burner is provided. Y

In Figure 2 there is illustrated a slightly modified embodiment of the present invention, in which parts corresponding to parts already described are designated by the same reference characters with a prime affixed thereto. With this'form of my invention the thermostatic control is entirely eliminated and the flame conditions are regulated by manually manipulating the Valve 11. It will be obvious that a burner control such as illustrated in this figure embodies substantially the same principleof operation as that heretofore described, as the regulation of the fluid-under pressure effects the desired regulation of the liquid fuel.

In Figure 3 of the drawings there is illustrated a further modification of the present invention, in which parts corresponding to parts already described are designated by the same reference characters with an a aflixed thereto. With this form of the invention the constant level chamber 5 is pro- Vided with an opening 18 to the atmosphere whereby substantially atmospheric pressure is maintained therein, and the equalizing connection is eliminated. With an arrangement of this type, the regulation may be effected either automatically by a thermostat 13 in the manner described in connection with Figure 1, or manually with a valve 11, as described more particularly in connection with Figure 2. Where the equalizing passage is eliminated, the aspirating ef fect of the fluid under pressure is relied upon entirely for effecting the withdrawal of the desired amount ofliquid fuel.

With all of the forms of the invention.

illustrated, the controlling or regulating valves which are relied upon for producing the initial regulation or control are positioned so as to be directly effective on a fluid which is easily controlled. In this manner, clogging up of the system is prevented and an eflicient burner control is provided.

I claim:

1. In a burner control, a burner, a supply pipe for liquid fuel, an equalizing chamber in said supply pipe, a pressure pipe for supplying fluid under pressure to the burner, an equalizing connection between said means and said equalizing chamber, and a thermostatically operated valve controlling the flow throu h said pressure pipe, substantially as descri ed.

2. In a burner control, a burner, a supply pipe for liquid fuel, an equalizing chamber in said supply pipe, a float valve therein controlling the level of 'fuel in the chamber, means for supplying fluid under pressure to the burner, an equalizing connection between said means and said equalizing chamber, and means for controlling the supply of fluid under pressure, substantially as described.

3. In a burner control, a burner, a supply pipe for liquid fuel, a chamber communicating with sald supply pipe and adapted to reto said burner to draw the liquid fuel therefrom, and thermostatically operated means for controlling the supplv of fluid under pressure, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y HOMER T. HOOD. 

